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Welcome to the Chang family!
When it came to renovating our midtown apartment the biggest dilemma was the bathroom. This is an older high rise building from the 40's with a standard 5X9 bathroom with porcelain tub. It originally had cute black and white checkered porcelain tiles which eventually turned gray and white, a white pedestal sink and a metal hamper behind the door...
The original tub tiles were white 4x4 and needed repair. The floor tiles also had some wear and chips so we decided to gut the entire bathroom except the tub.
The tub itself had no chips but looked stained all the time which a good cleaning with Duz soft cleanser brought it back to excellent condition. The untiled walls were skim coated and painted a glossy bright white to match the tub.
We chose Keope textured porcelain tiles in color Tivoli which is an almond color that had color variations of beige and pink for the floor and tub walls. The floor tiles were 16x16 and were laid out straight. The matching wall tiles were placed in a diamond formation which required more cutting, but we thought it would better this way on the walls.
The grout also matched the tiles to give a clean stone look to the entirety of the bathroom When we ripped out the pedestal sink, we were going to replace it with a similar looking pedestal sink. I then, remembered how much trouble it was to clean the floor around the base of the sink. I like to keep the bathroom clean and this means sudsing up the floors and mopping it till dry.
This is when we decided to try a sink and fixture that were wall mounted in a floating position. The vessel bowl and base were purchased at a Home Expo that was closing its store and the discounted price ended up as $170. We chose a vessel bowl that was frosted on the outside to avoid water spots and to keep it clean looking, a striped design called Beehive.
We installed green tinted glass shelving to match the sink since it was the most colorful part of the bathroom. Since the sink was so cheap we splurged on the Kohler K-T196 Falling Water faucet trim because of the single handle control that we found nifty. The toilet is also Kohler K-3422-U Wellworth elongated and is surprisingly affordable, which is why you will see it in most restaurant bathrooms. It has a very recognizable flusher that looks like a star trek gun.
Since this bathroom does not have a window or a fan, we were always replacing the shower curtain when there was mildew. We started this project thinking that a glass sliding door would be a great finishing touch. At the end of the project, a shower door just didn't seem right.
We finally decided on a glass splash guard that was half the price of a shower door and it completed the look of the bathroom. The installation required no drilling of the original tub but only onto the tile wall and then siliconed all around. The tub area airs out quickly so there is less mildew buildup and crevices to clean.
Overall cost approximately $8000
The Chang Family
Nice. Is the black splash sufficient to keep water off the floor?
Xeno - that's what most of the bathrooms in European hotels have, in my experience. You can't go buckwild with them, but they keep most of the water in the tub area.
This listing *almost* makes me miss Edina.
Is it me or does nobody else need the storage of a undersink cabinet? I must just have more toiletries. Also, I am wondering -- doesn't anybody ever need to set anything on the side of the sink? I think this is a beautiful bathroom but I really need a bigger bowl for the sink and storage.
While an improvement from the before there is something that screams 80's about this.
Luv it.
Where can I find a similar DIY bathtub enclosure?
I think that the renovation looks pretty awesome- the sink isnt really my cup of tea but it opens the space up a bit, I also especially enjoy the tub. Although be careful with that half wall glass thing- its very easy for water to get everywhere.
In the pics it looks as though the shots were taken before you officially "moved" in, it is missing some "stuff."
Awesome job though!
Catherinef, looking at this bathroom I know that the storage would be sufficient for my needs. Everyday toiletries in the medicine cabinet, soap on the soap dish, and my electric toothbrush and a box of tissues on the shelf above the commode. Bath stuff in the bathtub, towels on the towel rack, and everything that isn't needed on a daily basis could go in a cabinet or closet in another part of the home.
I love the backsplash idea and may have to investigate it as an option for my own bathroom.
Editors: When you're not posting in a hurry from a Puerto Rican hotel lobby, remember: the plural of a name does not take an apostrophe. The Changs, not the Chang's, remodeled their bathroom.
To me, this is as important visually as setting tile correctly.
Catherinef, I'm with you: maybe I'm just high-maintenance, but I like to have all the many, many products I use to get ready with me in the bathroom. I guess we're in the minority here!
I like the idea of the backsplash, but I don't find it super-functional in use: I stayed in Europe for a month last year and I splashed water all over the damn place every day.
To answer the questions about the splash guard, it does keep the water in the tub because I had it custom cut to be wider than the standard. Whatever the company had offered at the time, I had it extended by 6 inches for not much more. I wanted to try something that looked modern but just in case it didn't work, I could rip it off with no real damage to the walls or tub.
To answer the question about storage, there is actually a large linen closet right outside of the bathroom which houses all my towels, tissues and cleaning products. I tend not to place medication and cosmetics in the bathroom due to the changing environment and for the lack of a window to air out quickly.
Thank you everyone for your comments!
Chang
I worried about splashing the rest of the bathroom at a hotel with a shower like that once. However, that turned out to be the least of my worries. Yeah, a little water traveled astray but I could NOT stand the draft! Maybe it's just me but when I'm in the shower the slightest not-hot-water-related breeze feels extremely chilly. You know that icky cold feeling when you open the curtain or shower door to get the towel? The whole shower felt like that...
"To answer the questions about the splash guard, it does keep the water in the tub because I had it custom cut to be wider than the standard. Whatever the company had offered at the time, I had it extended by 6 inches for not much more. "
I commend your foresight!!
I so agree with catherinef! Where are these guys' toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, scent, makeup, nightcream, daycream, hairbrush/comb (to quote only the essentials)? I find that all this therapy seeking clean spaces only makes mornings much more complicated.... Dang! where did I tidy up my deodorant?